Sumwe Journal

The End of the Game Something I am deeply connected to and concerned about.  I have used photographs taken from the book, The End of the Game,  written by one of my favorite artists and authors, Peter Beard. Since a little girl I have had the privilege of visiting the Kruger National Park. It is a place of peace and beauty, a place where I have learnt an infinite amount and been able to observe African wildlife from a safe and close distance.  I am here to bring up a topic which has occurred in the past in other parts of Southern Africa and what I am sadly observing here in this special place. A hugely increasing population of elephants. Now, elephants are one of my favorite to see in Kruger, their huge stature, wise eyes and just the incredible feeling you get when being close to them. Unfortunately due to their large population in Kruger, which is ever growing,  it is leading the Eco-system to destruction. Now I don't know much about this topic and invite anyone wh...

june  back in the land of blood red sunsets, elephants in your front yard and a fast beating heart. it is so good to be back, to hear the thousands of different species of birds, to smell the smokiness of the fire and watch the sparks drift amongst the sky littered with stars. i stare into the embers of the fire, it's like staring into a soul, a soul full of life, just like africa. letting an ice cold beer slip down your throat as you listen to the low whooping of the distant hyena. the coolness of the night makes its way into your bones, but you don't care, you need to be out, out beneath the stars and with the sounds of the nocturnal animals. and then, hot, very hot. the dry air of the day and glaring sun, beams down on you through the open window. the dust fills your nose, but it feels so good to be in the bush again, using all your senses. watching and observing the signs of the bush, you discover so much more. the alarm call of a francolin and the staring eyes of prey into...

 I N D O N E S I A 0.7893° S, 113.9213° E Walking a long the streets of Bali you can find smokey incense dancing in the damp air and dainty frangipani's adding to the spicy fragrance. The temples are the monkey's playground, in between massive tree's with roots and branches that hang down to the floor, it is a scene out of the Jungle Book with Rudyard Kipling.  The Nusa islands are settled within the bluest water. Smiling locals wave us by, asking questions about South Africa, and singing the song Waka Waka by Shakira or shouting out 'Nelson Mandelaaa'. You can tell they are warm individuals, happy to help us around their island homes.  Swimming in the shallow reefs and becoming turtle friends, its amazing to play in the light warm currents of the Indonesian sea.  Food. Street food everywhere. Delicious and not sure what we are eating haha. Colours. Colours at the end of the day, warm and vibrant. Filling your heart with satisfaction and feeling utterly conten...

red, orange sand that contrasts delightfully against deep blue oceans rusty browns are the colour of villages, woven palm tree houses and warm smoke coming from coconut husk fires leafy greens way above in the sky, trailing long windy palm stems up to the forest of fronds above

approaching the small island infested with palm trees, i can see old wooden boats tied to a tree, moving with the ebb and flow of the tide. a bunch of guys milling around turn their heads as we arrive in the harbor. we hop off the boat and the light rain continues to fall but we are not bothered by it. taking in the scenes around me, it feels good to be on a new island. a few locals arrive on scooters and we each jump on the back of one and head off along dusty roads, blinking as the rain still falls down into our eyes. hiding in a little cafe we sip on some coffee before continuing to explore the island. we stroll around the streets, taking in the new smells, new faces and smiles. an old couple with wrinkled skin and milky eyes just watch us go by. you can tell they have seen many faces pacing by, and many changes through the years. flowers burst colour in between green shades of the many trees, hibiscus, frangipani and some other tropical flowers i have never seen before. an...

a slow walk to the beach, like i do every afternoon, listening to the sounds around. i watch the sun shine through the huge leaves that have created a thick, green canopy just above my head. soft sand sticking to my toes and soon i can hear the sound of the waves. this section of the island is one of my favorite, the tallest palm trees stretch up beyond the clouds. i feel so small here, and feel stillness. its as if for a few moments the earth slows its spinning, giving time for the suns warm light to caress my eyes and skin.  just before i reach the beach i can hear distant voices been spoken, muffled by the waves making mysterious stories. the distinct smell of smoke drifts to me, mixing with the smell of the ocean. i join the guys standing around the fire and the mysterious stories continue. my eyes wander to the magical colours of dusk. tainted with pinks and other warm shades of oranges, the evening sky is love. the sea reflects this love by shining these colours ...

sultry days, lounging around on sun beds and hiding under palm fronds the sweat slides down your skin the sun plays with palms leaving secretive shadows on the sand salty drops of water fall from my wet hair and a breeze dries salt crystals onto my skin fresh coconut to quench my thirst, the sweetness is mixed with a  salty taste left on my lips from the ocean eyes are sleepy yet full of magic as this scene feeds my soul

On the Indian Ocean This place is so full, in the coolness of the night, billions of stars shower the sky, in the early morning it is still, the only motion is that of the sleepy waves. I have seen so many incredible things just in the short time that I have been here. Deep blue and turquoise colored crayfish, eagle rays that fly and glide on the surface of the water and baby turtles, just hatched from their nest and crawled out from their hiding place. It is so beautiful to see the new life of these tiny babies.  One of my favorite evenings was a fishing trip. We get onto the little dingy before the last bit of the days light disappears. As soon as we are out of the calm lagoon, we are drenched with some bigger waves. Holding on and non-stop laughing we go on, into the blackness that surrounds the island. After a while we get to the spot where we need to drop anchor, the waves aren't as crazy here.  But the stars out when there is so little light aroun...

M A L D I V E S 3.2028 N  73.2207 E This is a magical place, little islands sit perched up, off the oceanic plate, covered in palm trees and other tropical plants. Lying along the equator the air is steamy and hot. A unique pattern of corals and turquoise coloured water surround each of the islands, and then the eternal deep blue swallows up the horizon and everything in view.  Sitting on the soft white sand, i can see hundreds of frenzied hermit crabs, scurry around. Their little feet make tracks in the sand and the end result of all of them together creates an art work of nature. So many things to observe when you really look. Slow, small waves dance along the shore, tickling the sand and bring gifts of broken corals and shells with intricate markings. The sultry summer brings breezes that are heavy with moisture. It is salty and I can taste it on my lips, I can feel it in my sandy, knotted hair. The breezes goes on to shake the leaves of the palms, and t...

T he sky is black and clouds heavy with rain, hover just above the horizon. The first winds of the storm whisk up loose pieces of grass, dust and the first few raindrops. In a few seconds the full storm surrounds us. The air is full of energy, thunderous clouds shut out the last bits of light and it feels as though night has fallen. The sky opens and huge drops of rain slap the red dust on the ground, making an intense sound. The birds sing out an African tune, thankful for the freshness of the storm, a break from the blistering heat of summer. Driving along the now muddy road, I put my head out the window and look up squinting, as the rain drops sting my skin. Open mouth and open heart, I taste the rain, the smell fills my nose and it drenches my hair, making it stick to my face.

G olden light that mesmerizes the soul. Up and out the tent at 4:30am on a cold morning, we fill up our flasks with hot water and strong coffee. Blurry eyed and big jackets on we stumble into the landy and out the camp gate.  Along the road we go and a surreal scene unfolds: the shadows are still sleepy and the sun is creeping up to the horizon, the world around slowly comes alive. Orange and coral colours dance upon the water creating liquid gold for the baby hippo to play in.   The copper sun makes a brilliant display as she bursts out from behind silhouettes. By this stage of the morning the hyena clan lazily make their way onto the road to take in the first light. The pups walk right up to our car and we peer down at big black eyes filled with curiosity. This light is just magic.